
This issue will be hard to review without getting into the details, but I’ll do my best before getting to the spoilers below the cut. What I definitely liked about the issue was the nice interaction between the characters, the possibility that we’ll be seeing much more of Master Izo, a rather intriguing setup for the next arc as well as both of the choices Matt makes for himself this issue. They speak well of the character and at least the less dramatic of the two show Bru’s knack for misleading the reader in ways the reader might actually appreciate.
What I didn’t like was the hype in the solicits suggesting that Matt would have to make “one of the most difficult decisions in his life” when the decision in question was so incredibly obvious that any hint of it being difficult would have been out of character. What the Hand seem to have in mind for Daredevil also makes very little sense to me. That’s about as far as I can go without giving away the details, so follow me under the cut (or dashed line if you reached this page directly)
On a positive note, Matt shows some chutzpah in both the way he dismisses Lady Bullseye’s offer and the way he refuses to be blackmailed into giving up custody of Milla. I still believe that we will still see her being written out of the book eventually, but when he lets her go (unless she recovers, which is unlikely in the short term) it might be for the right reasons and not because anyone is forcing his hand.
I also like the idea of Master Izo sticking around for a bit. Matt needs some guidance and a mentor with a sense of humor might be just what he the doctor ordered. I also have to pat myself on the back for guessing that he’s had ties to the Hand. Not that that ended up being integral to the story in any way, but I’ll take what I can get.
Ultimately, I’m looking forward to what lies ahead. Daredevil #115 didn’t really do it for me in every respect, but I look at it as a temporary glitch. On the other hand, most of the reviews I’ve read have been quite positive and the fanboys on CBR seemed to like it fine. Maybe it’s just me. Either way, I’m sure we have a great year of Daredevil to look forward to.